xo

sympathy blossomed in the blondes chest, knowing all too well the heartache that anna must be feeling. if it had been stefan who chose not to return, to remain on the other side the grief she would of felt without him would of been unmatched. "anna...your mother loves you. she loves you so much...but that doesn't mean she wishes to return to this world like we have. if she's truly found peace on the other side..." a paused, eyes flickering over her friends features. "perhaps she thinks you can find one here first."

a soft sigh leaves her lips and she averts her gaze, brows drawing together. of course, lexi was right. it was just difficult to hear. anna wanted nothing more than for her mother to find peace, and the thought that she had.. that was enough to put her mind at ease. to her, her mother was the most important person in the world. so, if she was happy.. then anna could be happy too. "i know.. i guess i'm just being a little selfish. to go through another lifetime with her is all i want. but, if she doesn't want the same then.. who am i to resent her for it?" at the mention of her finding her own peace here, anna's brows draw together into a slight frown. "i've always been so focused on making sure my mom is okay that i've never really.. experienced life on my own."

for a moment, jeremy remained silent, contemplating his words before he let them fall through. he was concerned, perhaps he had missed her more than was reciprocated. he had been delirious, to assume that she had waited all this time. she perhaps, had moved on, and yet jeremy remained somewhat the same, lost without a sense of identity or purpose. "i , for some reason , struggle to believe that." he wanted to believe she wanted to see him first, but it was a large ask. "yeah , it seems like everything else, mystic falls fell to tatters." he shrugged, weakly smiling in her direction. he understood her concerns. after such a time, it was difficult to reconvene, in fear or rejection or missed time, and the divide it may have caused. "i understand, after all this time, it makes things complicated, i know that even after all this time, i still thought of you every day." he stopped, exhaling slightly. "i am just glad you are home." his gaze met with hers, before stepping forward and taking her into his arms.

as jeremy spoke, a frown then settled on her brow. it hurt a little, that he didn't believe her. she knew that he struggled with self loathing when they had originally gotten to know one another, but she hadn't expected that to still be the case. anna had been hoping that he'd been able to see himself for what he really was. or at the very least, that someone would be able to make him see that. teeth caught her bottom lip, chewing on the flesh for a moment as her gaze then moved to the ground. "i don't wanna' argue with you, jer.. but i really did come looking for you. you may not believe it but.. i did." eyes softened as he continued to speak, a softened smile then stretching over plump lips. chocolate hues were glassy as she peered up at him. the boy, turned man, whom at first meeting had been part of her plan, but who eventually managed to steal her heart. he still held a piece of it, he likely always would. and, seeing him again, hearing him say that he still thought of her, it made her stomach flutter. jeremy then took her into his arms, and anna clung onto him, burying her face in his chest. she took in his familiar scent, squeezing her eyes shut tight as her grasp on his form tightened. she'd missed him, that much was obvious in the way she held him. "me too, jer.." she mumbled softly. but, beacon hills wasn't her home.. he was.

[ blood ] sender notices that receiver is bleeding ( @annabxlles )

he might be fine, but anna wasn't. she could smell his blood, and she could feel the way her nails dug into the palms of her hands. teeth captured her bottom lip, and she found herself thankful that he covered the wound. she could tell from his scent that he was a werewolf, so he'd heal quickly enough, so all she had to do was remain steady until then, and ignored the way her gums were beginning to ache thanks to the decadent scent of his blood. a shaky breath left her mouth and she peered back toward him. "it doesn't hurt?" she murmured quietly.

he was lost for words, the presence of his eternal love had taken him back. though, with such a reunion presented difficult memories. for the longest time, jeremy had blamed himself for her death. he had longed to see her again. for the time he had been able to see those on the other side, and their time together, it had felt like a blessing, yet their second goodbye made it almost too hard to bare. he felt that now she was here, it would be short lived, like every other interaction they had. he did not wish to hold on, but yet, his instincts were to hold her close and not let go. he was fighting with every fibre of his being to not do so. "i , many people have come back from the dead, you're assumingly one of them, though -- that was months ago." he stopped, eyes following her. " how long have you been back?" he assumed he would not like the answer to such a question.

anna's gaze was firmly focused on his and she could damn near see the cogs turning behind his eyes, the way he was beginning to piece together the timeline as he spoke. teeth capture her bottom lip, nose wrinkling as she gnawed on the flesh. inhaling deeply, anna then slowly shook her head. "there's no use asking questions you already know the answer to, jer.." the vampire spoke, brows drawing together. "as soon as i realised i was back, i headed straight for mystic falls, to find you. but.. when i got there.. there was no mystic falls left." she sighed, gaze falling to the ground. "i managed to find out that people had been relocated here and.. i've been here for about a week. i- i wasn't sure how to approach you. wasn't sure if i should. didn't want to.. complicate anything for you." anna elicited a soft chuckle, realising how ridiculous she must sound.

IT DOES SURPRISE HIM to see her. Maybe it shouldn't... but she had died what felt like so many years ago and she, like many, were always in the back of Stefan's mind. "Anna," Stefan greeted her before waving a bottle of whiskey he'd snagged to motion she could join him. "I'm glad you're here."

seeing familiar faces had been on her bingo card, but having stefan salvatore waving a half drank bottle of whiskey in her face was not. a mischievous brow arched, then a light chuckle followed. "yeah? me too. getting a second chance at life is.. pretty amazing to be honest." she then swiped the whiskey from him, smiling to herself as she lifted the bottle to her lips, taking a long sip of the rich liquor.

''You shouldn’t be out here by yourself. It's late you never know what's hiding in the shadows.'' // @annabxlles

"that so?" anna arched a brow, amusement settling on her face. "i'm a big girl, i can look after myself."

it had felt like an eternity since their last meeting, often something jeremy replayed in his mind. it were an attempt to taunt himself, to blame her loss on himself. he did a lot of self loathing when it came to anna, and in truth , he had not fallen in love since. he remained guarded now, fearful of love in case of loss. it had changed him, the person who he is now, because of her. he misses her, there is no doubting his admiration and fear of not seeing her again. he remains busy, not wanting to think too much, often spending time contemplating, loathing , it is best be is busy. tonight is no different, he took himself to the bar, two drinks in and it's not numbing his tired mind. eyes fixate on the bottles behind the bar until he is stirred. deep hues meet hers and he pauses, breath hitching his throat , lips part and no words linger. "anna?" he manages to stutter, eyes full of disbelief.

anna can barely tear her gaze from his. it felt so good to see him. it had been so long since the both of them had been in the land of the living together. she wanted to reach out, to feel the warmth of his touch, but she was hesitant, not knowing what had become of the man she once loved. when he spoke her name, she felt her stomach flutter, a slight, watery eyed, smile toying at the corners of her lips. she nodded her head quickly, silently. confirming that he wasn't seeing things, that she really was there. "don't ask me how, or why, or what the hell is going on.. 'cause i have no idea."

@annabxlles

"but what if i don't want a second chance at life without her?" anna spoke to the woman whom she assumed to be her maker. "i'll find a way to bring her back. just like i did last time." that was her vow, and she was going to stand by it.